Film Review: Baseball in the Time of Cholera “Victory is for the People”

Film Review: Baseball in the Time of Cholera

“Victory is for the People”

“As a Cholera epidemic rages in Haiti, the United Nations denies it is responsible for introducing the disease despite glaring evidence suggesting [U.N.] peacekeepers are to blame. Baseball in the Time of Cholera is the story of a young Haitian boy who plays in Haiti’s first Little League baseball team and the Haitian Lawyer seeking justice against the UN. As the epidemic spreads, the two stories intersect in the struggle for survival and justice.” – www.imdb.com

Baseball portrays firsthand the devastating human consequences of an institution’s refusal to be accountable for its actions and the power of the human spirit in the face of blatant injustice. As we follow human rights attorney Mario Joseph on his epic journey to vindicate the suffering of over 500,000 victims of cholera, we witness the unfolding personal story of a budding athlete. Little League baseball player, Joseph Alvyns, welcomes viewers to visit his home, meet his family and baseball buddies (check out “Crazy”), celebrate his victories, and finally mourn with him as he suffers a catastrophic loss.

Complex Pop Culture reporter Matt BaronecalledBaseball in the Time of Cholera a “project [that] sits above them all in terms of real-life importance.” Barone went on to explain that the documentary short, “directed by aid work­ers turned film­mak­ers David DargandBryn Mooser, tackles a crucial, call-to-arms subject in the limited span of 27 minutes, but every second counts.”

You will be whisked away to the island nation to observe sewage leaking into the river from a UN camp while peacekeepers scramble to repair faulty sanitation systems and guards prevent reporters from filming. You will walk with Haiti’s poor, gripped by images of sick children and panic-stricken crowds; terrified by riots with gunfire; and devastated by the precipitous loss of life. As health care workers scramble to save lives and researchers scramble to isolate the source of the outbreak, you will stand witness to the full scope of a crisis in progress.

Yet, despite this scandal, despite the tragedy, if you have ever wanted to embrace justice, to stand up for a cause, or to simply have hope, Baseball in the Time of Cholera will inspire you to fight for your beliefs. “I am not afraid,” proclaims Mario Joseph, as he scours the countryside to champion the victims of the cholera epidemic. “Victory is for the People!”

Click HERE To download the review in PDFClick HERE to See more Infor­ma­tion about IJDH’s Cholera Account­abil­ity Project